So, I installed OpenOffice 2.3.1, and I've been screwing around. I'm torn, really. There are two things right off the bat that I really dislike.
1. This isn't an MDI, so I have a new window for every document. With UltraEdit I can have multiple documents open and just click the tab I need (obviously, it's kind of difficult to have project files if you couldn't
do that) to deal with the chapter/file I need to edit. Given that I tend to have the current WIP chapter of several fics open along with a couple of research files, this presents an issue for me. I'm used to seeing Firefox, Thunderbird, Dreamweaver, and UltraEdit on my start bar, not eleventy-billion instances of the same program. (Semagic and WinAmp minimize to the system tray to save space.)
2. Line numbering seems to be document specific rather than a global setting. Every time I open a file I have to turn it back on if I want it. This wouldn't be such a big deal if I was going by # of pages rather than lines as a general guide. I know I can convert that thinking so long as I stick to a monospace font. I just think it sucks that I can't set it and forget it.
On the other hand, I like that I can convert stuff straight to PDF without having to install Adobe Acrobat or find a plug-in of some kind, and that I can specify a separate dictionary to add words to, and of course it shows me immediately when something isn't recognized.
Of course, I've had Microsqueeze's ClearType font smoothing enabled recently, which causes some interesting issues. Generally speaking it makes screen text so much less jagged, but it makes monospaced fonts in UE look absolutely horrific (which is interesting, since Courier New in OpenOffice looks fine). I turned it off for a bit, just to see, and recoiled from the screen (such as when viewing the average web page), and to compare skipped over to the laptop (which is default). Geez, man... is that usually how crappy the display looks for text?
Anyway, I realized very quickly that having ClearType enabled wreaks havoc when trying to make icons which contain text. All the fonts seem to explode in thickness, so I suppose I'd have to keep toggling whenever I went into PSP. I realized this when I had gone in to create a 'Grazhir' icon... the Grazhir part came out okay, but any subtext was bloated... not that I could think of anything appropriate except to label myself as 'sadistic'. Honestly, that was the only word I could think of to describe me, which is really pathetic.
It also, apparently, wreaks havoc with certain games, such as Lineage II. Rick enabled it briefly and quickly found that it futzed up any underlined text in the game and made shop displays all wonky, like text breaking out of the boxes. He turned it back off, of course.
For those who are interested, a number of Grazhir-type fics have been PDF'd. At the moment we have:
1. Control Issues (file includes Snapshots)
2. Crumbling Pedestal (file includes Snapshots)
3. Disovery
4. Forsaken (file includes Snapshots)
5. Induction
6. Infinite Shades of Grey (ISG)
7. Masks
8. The Nightmare Before Bedtime
9. One Winged Angel (file includes Snapshots)
1. Choices
2. Forbidden
3. Kaleidoscope
Each can be found at the respective detail page for the story (or via the pairings lists). Look for the cute little red Adobe Reader icon, and right-click|save to download. All chaptered fics (should) have an index, so you can click straight to a chapter or snapshot rather than having to page like mad.
Biology is on the list, but as it desperately needs editing, that might be a while. Once I have the completed fics done, I'll consider the WIPs... but I dunno. Would people like that, even though they aren't finished? I know bunches of you transfer copies of stories you read onto PDAs and whatnot, so....
